Police describe overdose-response partnerships; department says it responds to roughly 15 overdoses a month

Ithaca — The police department told the Community Police Board it is coordinating with local recovery and outreach organizations to improve overdose follow-up and recovery connections.

A department representative described recent meetings with OAR, CARS, Second Wind Cottage and REACH that brought peer counselors and outreach workers into conversations about post-overdose follow-up and recovery navigation.

“We respond to give or take 15 or so overdoses a month. Half of those overdoses, people will go to the hospital. The other half… refuse treatment,” the department representative said, adding the department’s goal is to connect overdose survivors with follow-up services within 24 to 48 hours because many people seek treatment in that window.

Officials said peer counselors who were once frequent contacts for officers shared recovery stories in a recent briefing, which helped officers see positive outcomes and informed the department’s approach to outreach and referral. The department described outreach workers connecting people to a local shelter (referred to in the meeting as the Cold Blue Shelter) and other community partners that assist with housing and treatment referrals.

Department staff asked for continued partnership from nonprofits and said they will bring partner organizations back to brief the board as initiatives develop. The department framed these efforts as part of a broader strategy that includes prevention, outreach and training for officers in interacting with people experiencing substance use disorder.

What’s next: department representatives said they will continue to coordinate follow-up with partner organizations and report back to the board on program developments.